How to Spot a Tourist on the SouthCoast

We are extremely lucky to reside in such a beautiful place, and during the warmer months, tourists flock to the SouthCoast in search of some summer fun. No matter how hard a tourist may try to blend in, they just won’t. There are dead giveaways that make locals say, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

I took a trip to Philadelphia a few years ago to visit my friend at school. He had class during the day, leaving another friend and me to fend for ourselves for a few hours in the City of Brotherly Love. We desperately tried to blend in. We wore dark clothing and tried to walk with confidence, but our wandering eyes were a dead giveaway. A Philly city-goer is more focused on getting to work on time than gawking over the giant building towering above them.

While our eyes roamed, a man walked up to us and said, “Are you ladies lost? Would you like some help?”

My heart dropped. I was in a strange city and a strange man was approaching us asking to “help.” We asked him how to find the "Rocky" statue, and after he informed us it was just a few more blocks up the road, he followed it up with, “That will be five dollars, please.” He was a panhandler with a sneaky delivery, attempting to swindle the clueless tourists. Well, his attempt worked, because I gave him a five and moved on to take a picture with Rocky.

I have faith that the SouthCoast wouldn’t try to swindle me if I walked around in downtown New Bedford, but I guarantee I would give off some signs to the locals that these were not my stomping grounds.

Here’s how to spot a tourist on the SouthCoast: